Apparatus for dehydrating natural gas



Aug. 2, 1949. s 5o 2,477,772

APPARATUS FOR DEHYDRAIING NATURAL GAS Filed May 14, 1946 HER/GER)! TION PLANT Inventor Sam asap of said sections.

' r unite r... z, 1949 e evates APPARATUS FOR ane near. one

James Simpson, Tait, Calif.

Application May 14, rest, ll claim. (on. ez-isssi Natural gas which is commercially supplied to users or local distributors has to be conducted in many cases over long distance pipe lines from the source to the points of distribution or consumption and, while such a pipe line may have a general downward slope, it is unavoidable that the. configuration of the land over which the pipe lines have to run causes local depressions or stretches in which upwardly inclined and downwardly inclined sections These depressions collect the condensed mois ture and have, therefore, to be provided with separators or draining or "drip means. Usually these separators and drip cocks or valves are opersted by hand by the supervising personnel.

However, while this method may be adequate in warm climates it leads to great difliculties during the cold season in less favored zones. The cooling of the gas in-the pipe leads to the condensation of large uantities of water, which may freeze and in other ways may dodamage-to the pipe line; it also causes a back pressure on the compressors and other pumps in the lines, and may-cause sudden bursts.

Moreover, sometimes the natural gas contains traces of sulphur dioxide, which, with water, forms a diluted acid causing corrosion of the metal objects with which it comes into contact.

To eliminate the difllculties caused by the presence of water, the invention provides a means for eliminating the moisture at the source of supply of supply a compressor which compresses the natural gas to a high pressure, and then delivers the compressed gas into a receiving tank or reservoir. This-tank is preferably encircled by a coiled cooling pipe through which a cooling medium circulates. The low temperature maintained in the tank by means of the cooling coil will condense the water contained in the natural gas, which may be drained and removed by means of a-socalled bleeding line connecting with the lower- .most portion of the tank.

In this way the moisture is completely removed at the source so that the pipe line remains. moisture free. I

The invention is illustrated in the accompany ing drawings showing one embodiment thereof. This embodiment is to be regarded as an example meet at the lowest point I itself. .-This consists in providing at the source lNo. 669,52?

. 2 The single figure of the drawings is a diagr matic illustration of the dehydration system. It

is partly provided with legends and is seli ex planatory.

The natural gasirom the source of supply which is supposed to 'be in immediate vicinity is led to the compressor 2 by means oi'the pipe line; I, and is compressed to a relatively high pressure. The compressed gas isconveyed to the receiver tank 3 bymeans or pipe line 6 which contains the check valve d.

This receiver tank is surrounded at its outside by. a cooling coil 8 which is connected with the cooling or refrigerating apparatus i providin the cooling medium circulating in said coil. The temperature of the refrigerant is as a rule kept constant by suitable valve means within the refrigerator l.

A pipe '8 leads from the receiver vessel to the.

release line 9 which is connected with the m or long distance line. A pressurevalve I0 is in serted into this line in order to be able to control the line pressure.

The'lowest part of the receiver tank is provided with a pipe line i2, into which a valve ll may be inserted. The line I2 is connected with the drainage or bleeding pipe l3.

The operation of the apparatus has already been explained when describing the method used. The natural gas passes from its source directly to the compressor 2, where it is compressed and, while under high pressure, is conveyed to the receiver tank 3 through pipe 4.

While under-pressure in the tank 3, it is cooled by means of the cooling coil 6 connected with the refrigerator 1. The water vapor content of the compressed natural gas thereby undergoes condensation and the condensate is collected at the lowest point of tank from whence it is drained by means of pipes l2 and I3. I The dry gas then is delivered from the receive tank through pipe I and pressure regulating valve the water content of the gaswill be completely illustrating the method and the principle used,

removed so that the aforementioned disadvantages due to the water contents are complete! eliminated.

Iclaim:

In an arrangement for the dehydration of natural gas before its admission into distributing pipes. a compressor for producing a high pressure, a receiving tank, a pipe leading from the said compressor through this tank to a portion near the bottom of the same, a cooling apparatus maintaining a circulating refrigerating fluid at a temperature lower than the temperature of condensation of the water at the pressure prevailing within the tank; a coiled circulation pipe around said tank filled with the refrigerating fluid and connected with said cooling apparatus. so as to produce a permanent circulation of said fluid, a valve controlled discharge pipe connecting the tank with the distributing pipes and a valve controlled water discharge pipe at the bottom of the receiving tank.

JAIMES SIMPSON. 1|

- '4 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,163,423 Lilenfeld Dec. 7, 1915 1,266,621 Peterson May 21, 1918 2,282,346 Stark May 12, 1942 2,365,791 Wineman Dec. 26, 1944 OTHER REFERENCES Dehydration Units for Individual .Gas Wells, by Anderson, published in The Oil Weekly, May 5, 1941, page 17 relied on only. 

